RESPE: Boston Profiles

 RESPE: Boston

Ashley Allison ('11)

Ashley is a member of the class of 2011 majoring in International Relations. She joined RESPE: Ayiti in 2009 as a way to combine her academic interest with her love for the Caribbean. As a Caribbean-American, Ashley wants to help alleviate many of the problems facing Haiti and similar Caribbean countries, especially health disparities. This year she enjoyed planning events such as the RESPE: Ayiti Benefit Dinner in March. Each event presents different challenges that allow her to learn and grow in ways that will only help RESPE succeed. Ashley comes from New Jersey and loves to travel. Outside of RESPE: Ayiti she is involved in Caribbean Club, Tufts Christian Fellowship, and MAPS.

Mae Humiston ('13)

Mae Humiston joined the RESPE team hoping to fulfill a desire to incorporate the academic resources of Tufts with the local knowledge of those in need- and is happy with what she has found. Intending to major in Anthropology, Mae loves languages and agriculture, two important aspects of Haitian life. In her rural Virginia home community, Mae has worked for a historic flour mill and organic farm, learning the basics of food production and farming. In connection with her experiences, she is most interested in Balan residents' views of nutrition and the sustainability of their farming techniques. She hopes to develop an understanding of Haitian community structure as it relates to farming and farming efficiency. She was a member of the summer 2010 travel team to Balan.

Marie-Gabrielle Isidore ('11)

 Marie-Gabrielle Isidore is a member of class of 2011 majoring in International relations and with a focus on economic development in Africa and Latin America. She joins RESPE with the desire to understand the complexities and opportunities for development in Haiti. More, specifically she’s interested in investigating business opportunities and entrepreneur ventures in Haiti. Her interest includes horseback riding, reading and traveling. She also fluent in French, English and Creole. 

Amatoga Jeremie ('12)

A New Jersey native, I am a junior at Tufts. My concentration is in Anthropology and Spanish. I have a demonstrated interest in civil and human rights advocacy, education equity, and the politico-economic processes that affect the construction and reproduction of culture and social identity. As a young Haitian-American woman forging my trajectory through academia and beyond, it is important to study the history of my people but also connect this struggle with nations who must overcome similar adversity. RESPE: Ayiti gives me the unique opportunity to experience the present political, economic, and social climate of Haiti while also allowing for the historicization of this resilient nation's unfortunate circumstance. It is truly uplifting to be a member of a group where both Haitians and non-Haitians garner ideas and solutions and are incited to action.

Talia Lieber ('13)

Talia Lieber is a sophomore from Rockville, Maryland who is planning to major in International Relations. Tali is interested in a variety of subjects from art history to Jewish studies, which she has explored more extensively in her studies and through her travels. After graduating from high school in February 2009, Tali traveled to Poland and the Czech Republic for a 10-day Holocaust study trip with her senior class and then spent the semester traveling throughout Israel, where she learned Jewish history and volunteered on a Kibbutz for three weeks. Tali plays on the Women’s Junior Varsity soccer team, serves as the Cultural Vice President of Tufts Friends of Israel, and is a member of the support staff for Tufts Wilderness Orientation. In her free time, Tali enjoys painting, hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Stephanie Pierre ('11)

A member of the class of 2011, Stephanie’s interest in institutional influence on individual agency and community organizing has led her to major in Sociology with particular interest in health disparities. Her past involvements include a role in the Tufts Timmy Fund and a tutoring position at Codman Academy. Over the summer of 2009, she participated in Haiti Today, an abroad program focusing on historical sites, culture, and politics in Haiti. Currently, Stephanie is a Project Health advocate at Boston Medical Center helping disadvantaged families access resources to improve health outcomes. She hopes to draw on these varied experiences in health, advocacy, and capacity building to enrich Respe: Ayiti so as to encourage participation and continue a sense of ownership in Balan community members, and the Massachusetts Diaspora.

Alon Slutzky ('13)

Alon Slutzky is a sophomore at Tufts and is considering a major in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, a minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership and is pre-med. He joined the RESPE team his freshman year because of his interests in minimizing health disparities and because the RESPE members are agreeably the coolest people on campus. This year Alon hopes to form a stronger relationship with the RESPE: Balan members and to expand the current maternal health initiatives on the ground. Outside of RESPE, Alon volunteers at the Sharewood Clinic in Malden and is a Repair the World intern at Tufts Hillel. Go Haiti!
 

Josephine Herman ('13)

Joey Herman is a sophomore hoping to major in Art History and American Studies. She is a member of the Tufts Cross Country/Track & Field team, co-founder of the UnRandom Acts of Kindness club, and a member of the Relay for Life planning committee. She has spent time living in Costa Rica, and has travelled extensively throughout Latin America. Hailing from Evanston, IL, she spends her summers as a camp counselor in Michigan. She is excited to learn more about Haitian culture and history through RESPE, as well as how to navigate the pitfalls of international development work. In her free time, Joey enjoys reading, art and watching movies.

David Schwartz

David Schwartz is a sophomore from Rochester, New York who is double-majoring in English and International Relations with a concentration in Global Health, Nutrition, and the Environment. He is extremely interested in developing nations and anthropological research and the measures that follow to alleviate suffering and ensure sustainability. On campus, David does philanthropic T-shirt design, is production designer for the Tufts Observer, studies Arabic, and is a member of Cheap Sox, Tufts' only improv comedy troupe. Additionally, David gives tours around campus, designs ads for Imaginet, and recently joined the Student Fund and BUILD: India. In terms of hobbies, David likes writing, tennis, art, music, rock-climbing, and late night Chinese food orders. 

Nick Miller-Stratton

Nick Miller-Stratton is a senior majoring in Music and in International Relations with a concentration in Public Health. Upon returning from a semester abroad in Paris, he interned in New York City at the Clinton Global Initiative where he came in contact with the Haiti Action Network, after which point he began intensive research on Haitian history in the context of US foreign policy. Continuing the engagement with Haiti, Nick joined RESPE Ayiti in 2010 in order to further develop his interests in community health, the social construct of the AIDS epidemic, inequality, and policy, a combination that came to fruition over the summer while volunteering at Housing Works in NYC with HIV+, transgender, homeless clients. In 2008-09, he participated in the Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) colloquium entitled ?Cities: Forging an Urban Future,? in which he studied social determinants of health and poverty, urban arts initiatives, and conflict in divided cities. When he's not studying, Nick enjoys teaching piano to youth in the Tufts Community Music Program, miming in Boston's only collegiate mime troupe (HYPE!), dancing Argentine tango, and cooking. He is fluent in French and is currently studying Kréyol.

Stefan Le Noach

Stefan Le Noach is a sophomore who hails from Williamsburg, Virginia. Stefan is a mechanical engineer who wants to share his knowledge with the RESPE community. He hopes to help develop Haiti's technological infrastructure via educating and collaborating with the Haitian community. Native to Montreal, his first language is French. At school Stefan
is president of the boxing team. He likes playing music and sports in his free time.